Tests and rest: Queen Elizabeth spends night in hospital

Queen Elizabeth II spent the night hospital for tests and “preliminary investigations”, before returning to Windsor Castle.

The 95-year-old monarch is said to be “in good spirits”.

Queen Elizabeth’s hospital stay

Tests and rest

The Queen was forced to cancel her visit to Northern Ireland, Buckingham Palace confirmed. She took advice from her medical team, albeit reluctantly, to “rest for a few days”,

The statement said she stayed overnight “for practical reasons”. But due to it being such a short visit – and to protect her privacy – it was initially kept out of the media.

It is the first time the queen stayed in hospital in eight years, since 2013 when she suffered symptoms of gastroenteritis and was treated at a private clinic.

The Queen’s health

The head of state – who has been on the throne since 1952 and is Britain’s longest-serving monarch – is generally in good health.

However, she was spotted earlier in October using a walking stick for the first time since she had knee surgery two decades ago.

In 2018, she had successful surgery to treat an eye cataract. In 2003, surgeons at the hospital removed minor non-cancerous growths from her face and operated on her knee.

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Busy schedule

The queen has a busy schedule, with an official record of her diary showed at least 16 formal events since returning from her remote Balmoral estate at the start of October.

Queen Elizabeth, who still rides and drives on her private estates, delivered a speech at the opening of the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff last week, and spent the weekend at Ascot racecourse.

On Monday, she held a virtual audience with the new governor-general of New Zealand, and on Tuesday received two ambassadors, also by videolink.

The queen is still expected to join other senior royals for a series of events linked to the upcoming UN climate summit in Glasgow next month as well.

Next year she is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee to mark 70 years on the throne.

Additional reporting by Phil Hazlewood © Agence France-Presse